At the Break...

[southern sabre]

By the way... this is my first post. I can't wait to high five my friends as I tell them that I recently lost my sapres report forum virginity, and now get to hang out with you strange and manic, yet totally entertaining group of imbeciles. I've been strangely compelled to come back again and again, so I figured I'd become a part of the madness. Let the mayhem ensue.

 

Anyway,

It's been an unbelievable season so far, much better than expected. What or who has been everyone's biggest surprise? biggest disapointment? What could be finetuned? What should be left alone? Though we've been great, what could push us to the next level, if anything? What will spell our success or demise in the playoffs? Who should I try to avoid on this board? Any of you LSU football fans as well? What's the capital of Zaire? Who's your favorite current sabre? How many questions are too many for one post?

 

Answer only the one's you can give insight on!

 

Lots of love from deep in the heart of Texas... and yes...

Geaux Sabres!

[GrimFandango]

Welcome to the board! Technically my first post, but i just signed up for a new screenname to take the outdated "2005" out of my screenname. Anyway... answers to your questions...

 

Biggest Surprise would be how they have dealth with injuries... if i was still bitter of the Peca Trade (which i never was... i really liked Timmy when he was drafted so i guess i was biased a bit) i would have to say Tim played like a player possessed all season long, which was great to see.

 

Biggest Dissapointment - The Struggles against Florida all season long and the past two games against Montreal had me feeling really nervous before the break. It is strange that two home and homes against the habs made me feel very differently about this team. It seemed the two losses to Montreal early in the year where the Sabres played great but couldn't win was the turning point in the season, and now those games where they just didn't play well (yet still got 3 points) just got me walking on egg shells for a bit. Its hard to complain when there hasn't been many losing streaks more than two games all year.

 

Finetuning - The zambonis need to be finetuned, but as far as this team goes, I too would like to see a top two veteran Defensemen brought in before the deadline. I want someone who will be here a while and can fill Teppo's void in the offensive production next season if he is not re-signed. (Its a stretch but, so be it).

 

What Should be left alone - if their isn't a deal to be made for that top d-man... leave this steam engine alone going into the playoffs... i mean the whole thing. We are good. We are very good, but still havent proven anything. The team is young, and maybe we have a bunch of stars in the making that will show up come playoff time.

 

Pushing us to the next level - see Defensemen

 

Success or Demise in the Playoffs - I have no doubt that the Gaustad's of the team will show up come playoff time. If Pyatt stays playing at his current level, he could really be an asset. The biggest factor to our success is one of our co-captains. Drury is an animal in the playoffs. He is a real winner. It could be interesting to see what happens when he gets that fire in his belly again. If he hasnt lost his playoff touch he could be a huge factor in our run (8-10 points a series type of factor). One thing that could lead to our demise is if Briere doesn't come back healthy. I wouldnt say this would lead to an implosion, but surely could hamper us as he is one of those players that can really help this club but he remains unknown coming back from the injury.

 

Avoiding people from this board - Be careful of the ongoing feud between TK and DeLuca... yesterday was the anniversary of something happening between the two... i don't know the full story, ask PA

 

Not an LSU Fan

 

Martin Luther King (hopefully someone will get the reference)

 

I love Drury, hard not to like a guy who was so good so young in his career with Colorado.

 

Never too many

 

 

I'm out

[Knightrider]

Welcome to you both!

 

There have been many surprises this year and most are good... Right now, that Peca trade is looking more and more like highway robbery. Timmy done very well and Pyatt has been a force since his return. The depth on this team is almost as stunning as the effort they have made in all but a handfull of games. Miller is much better than I had even hoped. Maybe the biggest surprise is Gaustead or Pominville. Gaustead, because he seems to have come out of nowhere, and Jason because if he had started the season on the Sabres he would be on pace the have better numbers than Vanek.

 

Biggest Disappointment: Kalinin - he's been hurt a lot. I'm not saying it's his fault. Just disappointing. Maybe Dumont, too. I was hoping for a bit more of an impact when he returned.

 

Finetuning - A capable, hungry blue-liner. Many have said they want a top 4 D-man, but statisticly, we aren't that bad (Thanks, Ryan and Marty! :) ). Our PK shows that we can play defense if we want. As a team though on EV and PP, we've been agressive.

 

Leave alone? see finetuning only the opposite

 

Logically, this team is supposed to be a bottom feeder. They are two points out of first in the NE with 26 games to play. They are already a success. Realisticly, they need to win one series ala 1997.

 

People to avoid? Too late, you registered... ;)

 

Yup, too many... although I think my fav Sabre right now is Lindy Ruff. Way to get a lot of people I like to play together and hang tough through injury. Hopefully he gets coach of the year...

[BetweenThePipes00]

OK let's see ...

 

Biggest surprise ... Connolly is the obvious choice, although i would not go so far as to say the Peca deal was highway robbery ... (I'm sayng I would rather still have the Peca of today, but we do have to remember that at the time they could have kept Peca happy at a reasonable price AND not ticked off their star goalie who, while clearly insane, was the key to a team that could have made another Cup run. Again, happy with Connolly and Pyatt, but let's not revise history too much, they botched the Peca thing .. at least they got a decent deal.) Also I think Campbell deserves to be mentioned ... he is a liability defensively if he gets caught out there against the wrong lines, but he has improved to the point where you can live with that because he has become a consistent threat offensively. I was not sure he would ever get there.

 

Biggest disappointment ... not much to choose from but I think it is Kalinin ... even before he got hurt he had not raised the level of his game in any way. He may be worse than he was three years ago.

 

Fine-tuning ... would love another steady defenseman because for all the bad luck with injuries at forward, they are due for some defenseman to get hurt ... they have to make sure Fitzpatrick is not in the lineup come April.

 

Leave alone ... the young forwards ... don't deal Roy, Pominville, Gaustad, Pyatt, etc unless something happens that forces your hand like three defensemen going down or something. Let them go through a playoff run and contiunue to learn how to win from Drury.

 

Next level ... being a little more consistent with the offense, especially 5-on-5 ... another defenseman would be great but they are not going to get a real difference-maker without having to give away some of the future. Get a boring guy back there that no one notices. But someone ... Kotalik, Max, Vanek, whoever, needs to score like 15 goals in the last 26 games ... they all show flashes but if someone takes it up a notch, look out.

 

Success/demise in playoffs ... well it's always about goaltending, special teams, blah blah blah ... but again I think if the defense stays healthy they can make a run ... if they start getting banged up there will be trouble because there is no Pominville or Roy or even Novotny ready to step in.

 

Who to avoid ... some would probably say me, I like to argue and I get sarcastic, but other than Todd_Kaz I respect everyone's opinion, even if I get sarcastic in a response. DeLuca's fine, Todd_Kaz just brings out the worst in everyone.

 

LSU fan ... no, although I suggest you sign up for TigerBait.com if you have not already, especially if you follow recruiting ... ;)

 

Capital of Zaire ... no idea, but I believe Louisiana is the Pelican State.

 

Who's your favorite current Sabre? I have a soft spot for goalies, have always loved Biron despite his shortcomings and Miller is great. But Drury has impressed me so much this season, especially with the things he says and the way he leads. It's not a "Look at me!" kind of leadership, which I think is what Messier sometimes was, and maybe he had to be to take the heat off the rest of the team in a market like New York. But Drury is already one of the best captains this franchise has ever had ... he is in a position to lead because he HAS his name on the Cup and has a team of mostly kids who have no reason not to listen ... and he is taking full advantage. If it needs to be said he is saying it, like after the Calgary loss when he came right out and said guys were not sacrificing enough. He's not babying them and he practices what he preaches. He stepped up on and off the ice when Briere went down. I have several Sabre jerseys, all goalies except of course for Perreault ... but Drury may be hanging on my wall soon.

 

How many questions are too many for one post? 37, I think.

 

This is the longest post ever ...

[Guest pathfinder]

 

Leave alone? see finetuning only the opposite

 

What a joke. This Sabres team will see a typical Buffalo second half collaspe. No team leadership with this young group. Carolina proved they do not have the muscle. Good luck getting through a playoff series with this group of wimps. THe second half of the season is all desperate hockey and this team will wilt as time goes on. The powerplay has been exposed for what it was and Ruffy no longer trusts it not to give up goals, they can't score five on five and this young goaltender will crack.

[GrimFandango]

What a joke. This Sabres team will see a typical Buffalo second half collaspe. No team leadership with this young group. Carolina proved they do not have the muscle. Good luck getting through a playoff series with this group of wimps. THe second half of the season is all desperate hockey and this team will wilt as time goes on. The powerplay has been exposed for what it was and Ruffy no longer trusts it not to give up goals, they can't score five on five and this young goaltender will crack.

Ummm... Sabres have been slow out of the gate the past several years... and picked it up after the all star break to make a run at the 8th seed... i don't consider that to be a late season collapse

[inkman]

What a joke. This Sabres team will see a typical Buffalo second half collaspe. No team leadership with this young group. Carolina proved they do not have the muscle. Good luck getting through a playoff series with this group of wimps. THe second half of the season is all desperate hockey and this team will wilt as time goes on. The powerplay has been exposed for what it was and Ruffy no longer trusts it not to give up goals, they can't score five on five and this young goaltender will crack.

WTF is your problem? Why are you posting here? What will it take to make you go away? :huh:

[Taro T]

Biggest surprise: Connolly and Campbell are the obvious choices. I will go with Miller being this good, this quickly. I expected him to be good, but not at this level. He is 7th in GAA and 6th in Save %age and has played much better than than since he came back from the thumb injury. Honorable mention goes to how well the "kids" have played. Pominville and Gaustad are basically coming out of nowhere in my book and playing fantastic. Roy and Paille have been solid contributors. I can go on and on about which young guys have stepped up. Honorable mention #2 - the powerplay. Other than the '98 and '99 playoffs, the Sabres have never had good powerplays under Lindy's tenure.

 

Biggest disappointment: It would have to be Kalinin. I think the groin injury he suffered in preseason is still bothering him, but regardless of the cause, he has not lived up to expectations. Hopefully the 2-1/2 weeks off is what he needs to get back on track. The Sabres will need him to play much better come playoff time.

 

Fine tuning: Bring in another D-man. Any significant injuries to the backline and the Sabres playoff run will be short unless they have another body or 2 back there. Rory simply is not designed to play in the new NHL. If he and (take your pick) Paetsch, Janik, or Jillson have assume major roles, the Sabres are in trouble. I would especially like to see the team bring in a D-man that can play the powerplay (Spacek perhaps?) so the team can get away from using Campbell and Pominville on the points at the same time. The Sabres have the 3rd best PP unit in the league, but lead the league in SH goals against. Giving up a SH goal in the playoffs will be a killer.

 

Leave alone: The philosophy and style on the penalty kill. Whether you think Lindy and the coaching staff are good, bad, or indifferent, he nearly always gets good penalty killing.

 

How to get to the next level: Bring in another D-man. (See Fine tuning)

 

Playoff key: Same thing it has always been - goaltending (and to a lesser extent injuries). Hopefully the league continues the "obstruction crackdown" in the playoffs and removes refs like the Koharski - McCauley pair that just don't get the "new" NHL. If it does, the speed the team has will also factor in to playoff success.

 

Who to avoid: My guess is that you've been lurking long enough to answer that question on your own.

 

LSU: Geaux Tigers! Laissez le bon temps roullez. (My 2nd/3rd favorite after Syracuse & UB for most Div I sports.)

 

Zaire's Capital: There is none, because there is no Zaire. The Capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is Kinshasa.

 

Favorite Sabre: Miller or Briere. Least favorite would have to be Andro, but I don't know if he should really count as he has only broken the 5:00 barrier (ice time, not PIM's) once this season. That is only one more time than I've done it.

 

How many is too many: I think you are there.

[Two or less]

Biggest suprise in my mind is the amazment of Darcy Regier's genius finally paying off, he build a club, that wasn't exactly the best, that didn't have the most skill, that didn't have the biggest payroll, but a team that is fearless, who play with so much heart and passion. Guys like Pominville, Roy, Vanek, Briere, Drury, Mair, Gaustad, Max, Grier, play 120% every game, they never give up, you can tell that theres much more their playing for then just money. And we have more guys like that down in the farm, like Paille and MacArthur. Leaders and guys who play with amazing will and passion, and it has worked, and that is very good to see. I couldn't be prouder of this Sabres team.

[BetweenThePipes00]

Hey, if you can't dicuss the topic in a rational way maybe you should go away. I'm sorry to break the news to you but this Sabres team just isn't that good. You have been living on inflated points and that won't hold up. This team ain't tough enough. Carolina proved that. Half of the posters on this sight pointed that out. The lack of leadership is also a glaring problem that will only get worse.

I think this is Todd-Kaz on crack.

Don't let him push our buttons.